


Shooting For Friendship

by Verbose_Mode



Category: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Action, Gen, Slice of Life, Sunset Redemption, airsoft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 03:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9105046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verbose_Mode/pseuds/Verbose_Mode
Summary: The goal Sunset Shimmer devoted her entire life to was a lie. Raw power had limits. Friendships did not.Sunset's conquerors embraced her with open arms. Searching for a way to bring her new, slightly jaded friend into her circle, Pinkie Pie stumbles upon something that may do much more than that. Something that builds trust and teams, something that turns friends into family.They happen to be Airsoft guns.***Originally published on FiMFiction.com on 25 May 2014.Inspired by the anime "Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C³-bu" ("Stella Academy Club C³") and the exploits of the ArmA community group "Shack Tactical." At least in spirit, if not style.Rated "Teen and Up" for occasional harsh language. You're all kinda adults, deal.





	1. Episode 1-1: The Best Worst Idea

**Author's Note:**

> This is an upload of my work at FiMFiction.com, as a means to test the fandom waters here at AO3. If it gets interest, I'll upload more and might even move over entirely, but for the most part this is experimental.
> 
> Comment, criticize and leave kudos if you have an opinion.

“Y'know, you really could join track or something!” Rainbow Dash said over her shoulder. “You're a great runner!”

Sunset tried to smile through the pain in her lungs, gasping for the breath to talk. “Why... haven't... you?”

This second mile was really taking its toll on her. She found herself wondering how she had been so easily convinced to join her on her daily runs, when Rainbow Dash was clearly in much better shape than she ever expected to be.

“Meh. I like more direct competition. Soccer and tennis are my thing.” Dash turned back around and made the turn for Canterlot High, slowing to a brisk walk to the girls' lockers. The two quickly showered and changed into their daywear, Rainbow Dash stuffing her old clothes into a locker, and Sunset Shimmer neatly tying hers into a plastic grocery bag to be washed later without stinking up her school things.

“Thanks for running with me. Really,” Dash said as they walked out. “Used to go with Gilda, but...”

“Yeah.” Sunset had heard. Miss Gilda Grifont had dropped out early last year. Rainbow Dash had taken the news rather personally, having been good friends with her. “I'm sure you can catch up. I mean, you got along with me, you can make up with her just fine.”

“Yeah... What time is it?” Rainbow Dash looked at her wrist as if expecting a watch to materialize there. Sunset glanced up at the school clock pointedly: 6:40. School wouldn't start for another two hours. “We got a bit. Hey, wanna swing by Pinkie's place? Maybe she'll feed us!”

Sunset nodded, somewhat reluctantly. She felt awkward around more than one of the girls; the bond they shared was tangible.

Rainbow Dash skipped ahead down the block, clearly not tired in the slightest after their run, and made it to the Pie residence well in front of Sunset, impatiently tapping her foot. Sounds coming from within the house piqued her interest as they walked up the driveway to the garage. It sounded startlingly like a war zone. The girls looked at each other as they heard the tinny report of machine-gun clatter and Pinkie's voice shouting incomprehensible battle-cries from inside.

“Maybe she's... playing video games?” Sunset suggested. Dash shook her head.

“Pinkie only has a handheld. Must be a movie. Come on!” Rainbow stepped around the corner of the house to the garage's' side door and opened it.

Inside, there was indeed a movie playing (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Commando” if Sunset was not mistaken), but the better spectacle was Pinkie herself. Wearing a pair of baggy camouflaged pants, her bra, and a red ribbon as a headband, she was dramatically reenacting the current battle scene on the tiny television set up against the garage door, yelling at the top of her lungs.

And toting a very large machine gun.

“YA! GET TO DA CHOPPA! CHU-CHU-CHU-CHU-CHUH! CHU-CHU-CHUH!” the heroine of her own little world mimed while firing wildly, then turned and rolled towards where Dash and Sunset were standing, firing again. “CHU-CHU-chuh... chuh chuh... uhh.... _Hi_ there...”

Sunset let her mouth stay open as she glanced over the rest of the garage. A variety of pistols and rifles, most with orange plastic tips on the barrels, were littered on the floor amongst Pinkie's usual collection of comfy sitting pillows. She had pretty much taken over the garage with her own personal style, several rows of streamers had been pinned to the roof, and a portable sink and the TV stand were blocking the carport door from opening.

Pinkie herself was kneeling on the floor, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as she slowly set down the machine gun.

“Umm, I can totally explain-” she started, her usual bounciness left behind for the moment. Rainbow Dash was having none of it.

“THAT THING IS AWESOME! Where'd you get it!? Does it work!?” She leapt into the room, dropping to the floor to look at the weapon. Pinkie perked up instantly as she realized Dash was on her wavelength.

“I got all of them at a yard sale for like, fifty bucks! This one's called an M-60, and I can't figure out how it works. They’re all air-pellet guns, they sold me a bucket of these too!” Pinkie held up a three-liter jar of colorful plastic pellets. Sunset knelt down and picked up one of the handguns, examining it, careful not to touch the trigger.

“I've heard of these!” Dash was getting more excited by the second. “People play wargames with these. They form teams, then go and shoot each other! It's like playing army but you actually know if you got hit, I heard the pellets really can sting! Awesome!” she repeated, hefting the M60 and aiming it around the room.

Sunset finished her examination of the pistol, pointed it at the wall and pulling the trigger. With a snap, a pellet flew out, bounced off the wall, and hit Rainbow Dash in the thigh, who leapt into the air in surprise, dropping the machine gun. Sunset gasped, fumbling the safety on and running over. “Oh my gosh! Are you ok?”

Dash nodded, slightly shaken. “Yeah. Just surprised me. Didn't hurt.”

Sunset slowly put down the handgun. “Ok. New rule. Nobody plays with these things unless everyone has eye protection, and not until we learn how they work.”

“Okie-dokie-loki! I mean, I had no idea any of them were loaded! That's scary!” Pinkie nodded vigorously.

“I'll help you figure out how they all work, if you want, Pinkie. They seem like they could be fun, even if just for target shooting. I mean, if you want to.” Sunset said, surprising herself. Maybe this whole friendship thing was finally rubbing off on her.

Pinkie's joyous gasp and hug sealed the deal.

***

 

Sunset opened a new tab in her laptop's browser, absorbing more information at a glance as she poured over the article. She completely failed to notice anyone coming up behind her in the quiet library.

“Darling, what _are_ you reading?” came Rarity's cultured voice from directly over her shoulder.

Sunset Shimmer had to stomp on her old instinct to turn and shame the fashionista for startling her, but she caught herself in time, taking a deep, controlled breath, and turned the screen so she could see more clearly.

“Pinkie Pie just bought a whole truckload of pellet guns, and I offered to help her figure out how they work, and make sure they're safe. I found out at least one of them was loaded the scary way. Want to help? Me and Rainbow Dash are going back to Pinkie's after school to sort through them,” Sunset explained.

“Certainly, I'll help, but what in goodness’ sake is Pinkie going to do with Airsoft guns? She never really struck me as the type,” Rarity mused. Sunset snickered and told her the events of that morning in full.

“Really? How many of the things did she get?” Rarity giggled, probably imagining Pinkie's Schwarzenegger impersonation.

Sunset shrugged, closing her laptop. “I have no idea, at least ten, I'm going to catalogue them all tonight, and try and organize them so we can figure out what is what.” The class bell rang, and the two got up. “Thanks for offering to help.”

“Anytime. I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping as well!” Rarity beamed.

Sunset felt an unpleasant stirring in her gut and got snippy before she could stop herself. “What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

Rarity blinked, going even paler than usual. “Well, um, just that. It’s a good thing that you are going out of your way to help somebody.”

Sunset snorted, stuffing her things roughly into her bag. Rarity put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sunset, dear, I didn’t mean to offend you. It was a compliment. You don’t just become ‘good’ overnight,” she soothed. Sunset knocked her hand away, standing up.

“And _that_ is what this is about. Rainbow used to do the same thing, point out every little good deed I do to try and prove ‘yay, Sunset, you can be a nice girl too!’” Sunset rounded on the fashionista. “Because guess what? I _can_ become good overnight. I learned the power of friendship. It literally hit me like a train, put me in a crater in the school grounds, and _I realized that I was after the wrong power for my whole life._ Now all I _need_ is for people to stop treating me like a walking bomb that needs to be babied every day!”

Rarity bumped into the bookshelf behind her, and Sunset noticed she had been advancing. She felt heat rise in her cheeks as she stepped back, aghast, and turned away, marching quickly from the library. _If there is a god in this world, can he please give me a kick up my flank before I ruin my own point in the same sentence I make it? Pretty please? What is wrong with me?_

Sunset turned down several halls without really looking where she was going, then stopped and leaned back against a locker and let the crowd pass by, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. The crowd passed by, ignoring her.

“ 'Parden. That's my locker.”

Sunset started, looking up to see Applejack standing expectantly in front of her with an unamused expression on her face. Sunset jumped aside, quickly trying to rub her face with her sleeve as the door was popped open.

“Somethin’ the matter?” Applejack asked, through the locker door between them.

“N-no. Thank you for asking,” Sunset said robotically.

“Anytime.”

Struck by an idea, Sunset leaned around the locker door. “Hey, Applejack, I don't know if Rainbow or Pinkie told you yet-”

Applejack nodded, closing the door and snapping the padlock shut. “About them BB gun-things? Yeah, RD wouldn't shut up about them until Principal Celestia pulled her aside to check that she ain't talking about real guns. What about 'em?”

Sunset nodded, that sounded like Rainbow Dash. “I was going back to Pinkie's after school to sort them out. Just wanted to know if you wanted to come along.”

“No, thank you. I have work t'do.” Applejack responded, just as deadpan as Sunset had.

“Oh. Ok. See you later, then.” Sunset nodded, turning and trying to swallow a lump in her throat. Somehow, out of all of them, Applejack was still the hardest to talk to, even more so than Fluttershy.

Last-period Calculus went by smoothly, most of the class Sunset spent reading more about how the various types of pellet-gun worked. The closer the class got to finishing, however, the more excited she found herself getting to leave and go apply what she was learning. As much as she wanted to do this to become better friends with Pinkie, she was starting to want to try the replica weapons herself, making a list of all the things they would need to get them started. The bell rang, and Sunset Shimmer practically flew out of her chair, pulling out her cell and dialing Pinkie Pie as she went.

“Hellooooo!” Pinkie sang as she picked up.

“Hi, Sunset Shimmer here. I gotta go downtown and pick up some things. Just don't touch any of the-" Sunset looked cautiously before continuing, "-the _Things_ until I get there, and don't let Rainbow Dash touch them either. Rarity, uh, might be coming to. I'll see you in a bit.”

“Wow, Rares too?! This is awesome! I'll invite Fluttershy and AJ, we'll have a sleepover!”

“I just ran into Applejack, she said she's... busy. Later.” Sunset told her.

“Awww…. Ok! Later!”

Sunset hung up and jogged to her car, speeding off to the hobby shop downtown and was gratified not only to find everything on her list, but that the shop itself sold and rented pellet guns and all the accessories. Less than an hour later, she was pulling into the the driveway of the Pie house and unloading a large cardboard box full of supplies. The garage door rolled up as she hauled it closer.

“Hey Sunny! Whatcha got there? Huh?” Pinkie bounced out to meet her, catching the other end of the box and helping her maneuver it inside. Sunset was gratified to see that all of the guns were still pushed up against the far wall like they had left them.

“Everything we need. I hope. Let's get started.” Sunset pulled a pillow underneath her and sat down.

“Yeah, what _are_ we doing?” Rainbow Dash and Rarity walked in from the door to the house itself, carrying a pitcher of iced tea and a stack of glasses.

“Organizing these, and making sure everyone who wants to use them knows how they work. Safety first!” Sunset reached into the box and pulled out a handful of protective glasses. “Put these on _any_ time someone is handling these. I tried to get colors you might like, plus a few extra.”

“Sweet!” Dash slid on the blue glasses, then sat down cross-legged next to Sunset. Pinkie giggled as she grabbed the pink pair.

Rarity hesitated as she took the violet set. “Sunset, I'm sorry about-”

“Don't be,” Sunset cut her off, knowing where this was going. She really didn’t want to embarrass herself again. “I really overreacted, don't worry about it. Seriously.”

“If you're sure… but you did make a good point.” Rarity left it at that and put on her glasses, carefully kneeling on a pillow. Sunset slid on her own crimson pair with a grateful look.

“Thank you, Rarity. Ok!” She clapped her hands, then picked up one of the handguns she had researched, a black, angular piece with black plastic grips and a metal slide emblazoned with “S&W Sigma” along one side. There were three others like it, so she figured they would be a good place to start.

“Ok, this is the licensed Smith & Wesson model, and it looks like the original owner was a fan. The magazine release is here.” Sunset pushed the button on the grip, and the metal magazine slid out. She examined it and pointed out where the pellets went. “This one holds twenty-six shots, and under here...” She wiggled off the rubber cover on the bottom to reveal a hidden valve. “...is where the propane goes.”

“P-PROPANE!?” Rarity gasped.

“Relax, I'm sure it’s safe. Right?” Rainbow asked. Sunset shrugged.

“Well, it’s not straight propane. It's a mix they call 'green gas,' I bought a canister. Give it here, carefully, please.” Rainbow Dash handed the large canister of pressurized chemicals over, and Sunset looked over her shoulder to check that the garage door was open enough to prevent fumes. She took the bottle and mated the two valves, pressing them together with a small hiss of escaped air, then pulled them apart when the whisper of flowing gas stopped. “According to the manufacturer, that should be enough for two full reloads, but some forums say more. Now we pull the magazine spring down and drop pellets in the top. Simple as that.”

A minute later, she had filled the magazine, the other girls all leaning over her shoulders. Checking one last time that everything was where it belonged and looked clean, she slid the magazine into the grip, pulled back the slide, and let go. It snapped forward with a satisfying clack.

Sunset looked around at the girls, all of them sharing the feeling that they really might be doing something dangerous. “It either works or it doesn't. Here we go.” Sunset took aim at a cardboard box full of old newspapers and pulled the trigger, musing that the third option was that it exploded in her hand.

With a mechanical “pop!” of gas, the handgun spat out a pellet and its slide jerked back, poking a tiny hole in the side of the box. Dash gave a whoop of victory and Rarity and Pinkie clapped. Sunset unloaded the pistol, setting it down. “Ok. Your turns!”

“What?” Dash balked. Sunset picked up the other three identical handguns, handing one to each of them, and divvied up the magazines.

“So you know how it works, and can take care of it. Unload it, recharge the gas, load the pellets, and check that the gun is all clean. I'll walk you through it!”

A few minutes later she turned away, going about setting up three paper targets on the plastic stands she had bought. The girls were merrily going about filling the ten magazines that fit the Sigmas, so Sunset set about disarming all of the other guns and organizing them into boxes.

There were two sleek-looking electric M16 rifles, one of which had an adjustable stock and mounting rails along the top and all around the barrel, the other an older-looking design with the sights and carry-handle built together. Another pistol, larger than the others, had a bulky flashlight and suppressor screwed onto the end, along with a much smaller handgun that may have been the one she shot Rainbow with, and a revolver made with a real wood grip that hid a gas canister, which Sunset removed. There was one long-barreled bolt-action rifle with a scope, the underside of which had clearly been modified with custom plastic parts to fit a pistol-like magazine. Next was a lightweight electric design with a folding stock, modeled on an MP5 submachine gun, but with a much thicker, bulkier barrel that may have been designed to look like an integrated suppressor. Sunset noted its magazines had large internal reservoirs that led into a forty-shot hand-wound feed, and most of the other rifle magazines did as well. The M60 was easy enough to empty the simple tank that held pellets disguised as an ammo box, and she quickly found how to replace the batteries with the new ones.

Finally, Sunset picked up the last rifle as the girls finished loading their handguns and started an impromptu competition, the pop-pop of the gas guns and laughter at their marksmanship filling the garage. Sunset ignored them for the moment, something had caught her attention about this particular item. It seemed... _more_.

The stocks and barrel-handguard where solid wood, and the barrel and most of the casing seemed to be metal as well, making the rifle much heavier than the others. The design was clearly based on some kind of Warsaddle Pact weapon, a short-barreled AK with an stamped steel body. She removed the magazine, finding it held a gas cartridge, and pulled back the slide. To her disgust, a pair of small plastic parts fell out if the bottom of where the magazine went. _Ponyfeathers,_ she swore to herself, the spell shattered. _This one was definitely broken._

“Sunset! Come on! I filled an extra thingie for you!” Pinkie slid down next to her, dropping one of the Smith & Wesson guns into her lap with a spare magazine, then pulling her to her feet, the AKM clattering to the floor forgotten. Sunset found herself lined up with the others, their excitement infectious. “Ready! Aim! Go!”

They all opened fire, and the already abused targets fell apart under the barrage as multicolored pellets bounced across the floor. Pinkie finished last, pulling out the magazine, spinning the pistol like a cowgirl and tucking it into the top of her skirt. “Best idea _ever_!”

Rarity examined her own. “I wonder if I could make proper holsters for these. I mean, how hard could it be?”

“That'd be cool!” Rainbow was practically dancing with excitement. “Hey! Hey Sunset! Shoot me!”

“WHAT!?” all three girls screeched. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Come on. These things are literally made for this. Just not in my face, or whatever. How bad could it be?” She marched to the far corner of the garage and turned to face them.

“If you're sure.” Sunset removed and pocketed her last magazine, picking up a new one to reload.

“Totally! Bring it!”

*pop!*

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide, and she very slowly mouthed “ow” before bringing both hands to the spot the pellet hit. “That really, really hurt! You shot me in the boob!”

Sunset sputtered. “You only said don't aim for your face! I aimed at your chest! It could have hit anywhere!”

A quiet knock on the wall announced Fluttershy's arrival, who cowered by the entrance to the garage when all of them turned to look. “Umm, sorry. Is this a bad time?”

Rarity and Pinkie looked at each other and collapsed in peals of laughter.

***

 

“But… isn't this… dangerous?” Fluttershy held out the pistol cautiously, her grip far too low to reach the trigger. Rainbow Dash corrected her, moving her hands into a better position.

“Just dangerous enough to be fun! Now, all you have to do is look at the target, line up the sights, and pull the trigger. Easy!” Dash stepped back.

Rainbow Dash had enthusiastically taken it on herself to teach Fluttershy to shoot. Sunset had been happy to let her, Fluttershy was still terrified of her reverting to her bullying ways, and Sunset could not blame her in the slightest. _Rainbow seemed to be doing a fairly good job of instructing, anyways,_ she assured herself.

*pop!*

Fluttershy started violently at either the sound, or the motion of the slide, and a hole appeared high on the outer edge of the paper, outside the target. She cringed.

“Oh! Oh dear. I'm not a very good shot, am I?”

Pinkie shook her head. “That was like, your first time _ever_. Try agai-in!”

“No pressure, darling. I'm a _terrible_ shot,” Rarity professed.

Fluttershy nodded, steeling herself and taking aim. She slowly squeezed the trigger, taking slow breaths between each shot.

*pop! pop! pop! pop! pop! pop!*

The second shot poked the zero out of the number ten ring, and the following shots proceeded to make the hole slightly bigger, until the further shots simply sailed through the hole unobstructed. Fluttershy looked at her handgun in confusion as the slide locked back on the final shot. “Um, what did I do? I-I didn't break it, did I?”

She turned to see all the other girls with their jaws hanging wide open in shock and instantly flushed pink with embarrassment. Rainbow Dash was the first to find something to say.

“Holy _SHIT_ you're a good shot! Look at this!” Dash went over and held up the target, looking through the hole. “You never missed the bullseye! Not even once!”

“B-but I did miss, I barely hit the target the first-” Fluttershy insisted. Sunset shook her head and held up the last target she had used. Only a few had even come close to the center, most were clustered in the lower-right of the seven and eight ring and at least three had missed entirely.

“You're a natural. This is all of our first times, and none of us could do that well.”

Pinkie gave a squeak of excitement and grabbed Fluttershy in a giant hug, spinning her around. “This is awesome! How did you do that! Can you teach me? Or was it _magic_?”

Fluttershy extracted herself with some difficulty, and examined the gun. “I-I just took my time... that's all.”

Rainbow threw an arm around Fluttershy, beaming. “Come on! Let’s have Sunset show you how to reload the thing... what is it again?”

“A Smith & Wesson Sigma, darling, it's literally written on the side,” Rarity explained patiently.

“Sure, whatever. Then you can practice yourself!” Dash drug her over to the box where all the supplies were and sat her down. Sunset sat down next to her, making a conscious effort to try and be less intimidating.

“Umm... hi...” Fluttershy muttered. Sunset winced internally. _Good job on the whole not-intimidating thing._

“Hi. Again. I guess.” _Well done, Sunset. Well done._ “Ok, right. This button...” Sunset walked Fluttershy through rearming and reloading, then noticed Pinkie slowly leaning in over their shoulders, grinning. Sunset growled in annoyance. “Pinkie, I know for a fact you have had the concept of ‘personal space’ explained to you before. _What_?"

Pinkie giggled. “I just had another idea!” she announced.

This time it was Rarity's turn to roll her eyes. “I temper my sense of sanity in preparation.”

“Ok, so, Dashie said that people play games with these things, right? Well, since we're all here, and my folks are all out...” Pinkie bounced in place on her cushion.

The others all nodded, waiting for her to finish. Pinkie looked around at them expectantly, and Rarity caught on first.

“Wait, now?! But Pinkie, its almost ten o'clock at night! We should be thinking about bed!”

“Hey, I'm up for it!”

“Of course you're up for it, you're _Rainbow Dash_ ,” Rarity countered.

Fluttershy fidgeted with her hair. “Umm, I'm not sure it's a very good idea... This late... at night... in the dark.”

The four looked expectantly at Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, surprised at suddenly being the center of attention, stared back. “What?”

“Swing vote,” Pinkie explained. Sunset wished she would blink.

“Umm...” It suddenly struck Sunset that not only did they want her input, but actually were going to value it. They cared about what she had to say. No one had since... since Twilight had appeared. And now this group of people were going to listen.

Sunset grinned, a real, happy smile that hurt her face. “Why not!?”

***

 

The school always looked different at night. All the lights were out, but Sunset had double-checked around the back to make sure Vice-Principal Luna's car was gone. The lady was notorious for staying late, and Sunset had found out by a very close shave one night of snooping around that the Vice-Principal usually left all the lights off. Sunset shivered, regretting not having brought a sweater like the rest of the girls. Her leather jacket was not really cutting it.

“Ok, I got an idea!” Rainbow pulled back her black hoodie, looking around. “We have uneven teams, so let's do a VIP match, like in Counter-Strike!”

“I've never played Counter-Strike, dear,” Rarity explained, flipping the tail of her scarf over her shoulder. “I have played quite a lot of Bejeweled, if it's anything like that?”

Rainbow Dash stared at Rarity open-mouthed, fumbling for the right words, making Rarity giggle. “I'm joking, of course. I know of the game, it's a shooter of some description, right? So what is a VIP match?”

Rainbow Dash shook herself. “Bejeweled? You total casual. Anyway, in VIP, one team has a... well, a VIP. If the VIP gets taken out-”

“Oh dear...” Fluttershy muttered.

“-then that team loses, instantly. But if the VIP makes it safely to the objective point, then they win.”

Sunset raised her hand. “So the VIP team gets more players, right?”

Rainbow nodded. “Exactly. Let's see... The main statue right here in front of the school will be the safe zone. If the VIP makes it here, they win. Escort team can start on the other side of the building, and the defenders will start here.”

Rarity cocked her head. “So what happens if the Non-Important Persons get hit?”

“Right! Umm... I don't know.” Rainbow Dash hung her head. Sunset stepped in.

“I read some overall rules to pellet-gun and paintball battles. If you get shot, you have to yell 'hit' and put your hand up, then walk to the safe zone. It's the honor system.”

Pinkie was grinning from ear to ear, rocking back and forth like a child in line for ice cream. “Ooh, this is so _tactic-cool_! Who's VIP? Who's VIP?”

“Fluttershy? Do you want to be 'it'?” Sunset asked. “That way, your job is to stay safe. If it all goes right, you don't get shot.”

“Umm... Sure...” Fluttershy reluctantly took out her glasses out of her yellow sweater and slid them on. She had been handed the much larger pistol, modeled on a Heckler & Koch Mark 23 handgun. The gas cartridges that Sunset had bought had been fairly easy to fit into its three magazines, and each held almost thirty shots. The pistol was so large and heavy Fluttershy was holding the large mock-suppressor up with her left hand, like some kind of stockless rifle.

“Don't worry, Fluttershy! I'll protect you!” Dash threw her arm over Fluttershy's shoulder, giving her head a sharp bob to flick her own goggles down to her eyes.

“Dibs!” Pinkie jumped over to Fluttershy's other side, turning it into a group hug.

Sunset looked over at Rarity. “Think we can do this?” Sunset challenged.

Rarity pushed her protective glasses up her nose, the took out her pistol and posed. “I believe a catchphrase is in order.”

Sunset smirked as she put on her own glasses.

“It. Is. On!”

***

 

A sharp blast of Fluttershy's whistle rang out through the chilly night air, and Sunset followed Rarity out of the light to concealment near a hedge. _If we hear it again, match is over. We either won or lost._

“Which way do you think they'll go?” she asked, peering out into the darkness.

“Rainbow Dash will definitely think she's being clever, and try to talk them into going the long way around. Pinkie, however...” Rarity spread her hands and pouted. “She can be a mite random.”

“So they might do anything, huh?”

“Anything,” Rarity smiled, “Except sit still. Fluttershy alone can't keep them from running around. Let's go to the far corner, but you keep an eye on the east end. If they go the long way, we'll be between them. If they go the short way, we'll be able to shoot at them as they run for the statue.”

Sunset nodded sharply. “Good plan. Let's go.”

The two set off at a jog, instinctively keeping their heads slightly lower as they ran. Rarity reached the corner and peeked, then yanked her head back and snapped her fingers to get Sunset's attention. She raised a finger and carefully pointed around the side of the building. Sunset got the message: _one, that way._

Sunset signaled got it with a sharp nod and listened. Footsteps were approaching fast, someone was running toward them. Sunset raised her free hand and started a countdown: _three, two, one!_

Rarity and Sunset wheeled around the corner of the building at the same time, pistols up and searching for targets. Rainbow Dash, running toward them full-speed, provided one. Sunset began pulling the trigger as fast as she could, gritting her teeth as she tracked Dash's brilliantly colored hair.

Rainbow Dash had absolutely no plans to get hit, even caught mid-sprint. With inhuman reflexes, the star athlete juked to the side, and both girls pellets sailed through the space she had been in before Dash dropped, rolled and came back up with burst of speed parallel to them, slipping behind the cover of a waist-high hedge, spraying pellets blindly as she went. Sunset hastily ducked back as the shots whizzed past and pulled the magazine out of her pistol, pocketing it and drawing her spare.

“They're up to something. What now?” Rarity whispered hoarsely as she checked her own magazine and decided she still had enough shots to keep it. A taunting shout of “Is that all you got!?” echoed out back at them.

“Now...” Sunset peeked around the corner. “Now we hunt. Go to the right corner, I'll circle left. Careful not to shoot each other when we catch her.”

Without waiting for Rarity's response, she crouched low and ran to the far end of the hedge before looking back to see Rarity sidestepping to get a clear shot as well. Sunset preformed another mental countdown before leaping around to shoot.

She promptly forgot about shooting as Rainbow Dash seemed to be waiting for them yet again, launching herself in an impressive sideways dive and firing as she sailed through the air. Sunset ducked so quickly her feet left the ground, remembering halfway down that she even had a means of attack. She hit the ground in a clumsy kneeling stance, firing wildly.

In the madness, one extra “pop” filled the air, and Rainbow Dash yelped, spinning around and clutching at her back.

“Ow-ow-ow! Damnit! Hit...”

Sunset leaned to look past her and saw Rarity still aiming, grinning widely, then noticed how badly her own hands where shaking. She lowered her gun and gave a hasty thumbs-up as Rainbow grumpily got up and started walking out of the battle-zone.

“Good save!”

“You’re most welcome!”

“ **SUP-RIIIIISE!!!** ”

Sunset felt the most peculiar sensation of her bowels running to jelly as Pinkie Pie leap out from the corner they had just come from, her first shot whizzing past Sunset's shoulder so close she heard it pass with a faint “fwip” of displaced air. Her second shot, which Sunset was sure was much more luck than skill, hit Rarity on her belt.

“ _Eek!_ Oh, I mean, I'm hit!”

Sunset unleashed a flurry of both Equestrian and English swear words under her breath as Pinkie dodged back around the corner with a giggle before she could shoot back. She ran along the low hedge, passing Rarity and checking her magazine as she went. _One-quarter. Have to be accurate. Heh, who am I kidding?_ Sunset pocketed that magazine and fished out her first one, which was about half-empty.

She sidled up to the corner, pistol at the ready, and hesitated before peeking around. “Pinkie? Are you there?”

The resultant giggle was all Sunset needed, but Pinkie answered anyway. “Sure am! Where else would I be?”

Sunset considered how she could dive around the corner, then realized the flaw in that plan was that she was not Rainbow Dash. “Well, I thought you might stick with Fluttershy while Rainbow ran interference.” Sunset stalled. _If I can keep her talking, and maybe distract her enough to give away where Fluttershy is..._

“Oh, wow!” Pinkie sounded legitimately surprised. “That's exactly what we did, but now I came to guard the corner so Fluttershy could go to the statue!”

Sunset blinked. “I've made a terrible mistake.”

Out of sight, Fluttershy blew her whistle in victory as she touched the statue in front of Canterlot High.

***

 

Sunset leaned against the cold stone wall and slid down, letting her handgun slide out of her hand and hanging her head so the night air could get under her hair. It felt good, her skin was flushed and hot after the brief exertion and several consecutive adrenalin rushes.

 _They had split up. Rainbow Dash had ran around the long way, and Pinkie and Fluttershy had gone the direct path. Either way we would have had a hard time winning_ , Sunset noted.

“Wee! That was- oh?” Pinkie skipped around the corner, and stopped short when she saw Sunset slumped against the wall. “Sunny? Are you alright?”

Sunset felt her body give a small spasm, quickly followed by another. She rolled her head back, and let the first burst of laughter out, then another, and another. Pinkie giggled as well and plopped down next to her, giving her a push.

“That was... T-that...” Sunset gasped for a breath, throwing an arm around Pinkie.

“Was FUN!” Pinkie hugged Sunset and pulled her to her feet in the same motion. “Like, intense awesome! Dashie was like 'I'll be a hero!' and 'zoom!' and me and Fluttershy were like-” Pinkie mimed sneaking like some sort of hunchback, “-and super-scared the whole way and I got to you and Rarity and you were all like ninja-action-chicks and, and...” Pinkie stopped, mouth opening and closing in confusion. “I... I actually can't describe it! I can't even make up a word! And I'm _good_ at that!”

Sunset grinned, grabbing up the pellet guns and heading back to meet the others. Pinkie was right, she had no idea how to explain the rush she had just felt when she had teamed up with Rarity, the natural flow of how their gut feelings had met and formed strategy and fun. Something... _ha!_

The other three were gathered at the statue, and Sunset threw her own congratulations onto an embarrassed and emboldened Fluttershy, giving her a hug for good measure. Sunset grinned, looking back at the school, dark and foreboding in the night, and back at her friends.

“That was _magic_.”

 


	2. Episode 1-2: This We'll Defend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rash decision has consequences, but attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.

_Well, from my experience, I'd say this looks pretty bad._

Sunset looked around Canterlot High's administration office, where Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack were all sitting uneasily. Sunset briefly entertained the thought that Principal Celestia had called them there to check up on Sunset's "good girl" progress, but the thought was quickly banished when the door to the Principal's office opened.

Celestia did not look happy.

The six of them filed into the room and stood shoulder-to-shoulder, looking various degrees of nervous or guilty. Celestia walked back around her desk and pushed her chair in, then picked up a styrofoam cup and tipped its contents out onto the table. Sunset winced when a handful of plastic BBs went bouncing across the wood.

"Oooooh..." Pinkie folded her hands behind her back, looking away. "Umm... We didn't think-"

"No, no you did not." The principal turned around with a sigh. "You are good kids, but no matter how good you are, I never like getting a call from the Canterlot PD about students running around school property with guns at midnight."

"Hey! They weren't _real_ guns! And Applejack wasn't even there!" Rainbow Dash stepped forward aggressively. Fluttershy tried halfheartedly to rein her in by pulling on her arm.

"I know they aren't real guns, the chief and I found the pellets. But the fact remains that you cannot have anything even resembling a firearm on school property, even after hours. The police got two separate calls from concerned individuals about this." Celestia kept her back turned on them while she talked, tapping her fingers on her arm.

Pinkie gave a sniffle, the abruptly burst into tears. "They're mine! It was my idea! I didn't know, I didn't think-"

"Ma'am, you really must see, Applejack wasn't there, she had no involvement in this fiasco!" Rarity insisted, hugging Pinkie protectively. "She hasn't even seen the things!"

"Who cares?" Applejack cut in front of them. "You know they ain't real, everybody there was willing, no'un had a chance o' getting' hurt," she pulled her hat off in frustration, "'I don't see what the deal is!"

"You can't get us in trouble for rules we didn't know about!" Rainbow Dash shouted rebelliously. Pinkie's tears intensified as Rarity and Fluttershy tried to comfort her. Celestia was now holding her forehead in her hand, looking equal parts annoyed and sympathetic as everyone tried to be heard at once.

Sunset closed her eyes, arms folded and head down. "Everyone shut up."

Unsurprisingly, nobody heard her in the chaos, so Sunset took a deep breath and _made_ herself heard.

" ** _QUIET!_** "

She got quiet. Pinkie even forgot to cry for a moment. Sunset didn't move from her spot on the wall, and went back to her brooding position. "Everybody out."

"Hey! We aren't letting you take the heat for this!" Rainbow folded her arms stubbornly.

Sunset shook her head. "I'm not 'taking the heat,' you lot are still in trouble. Get out. I want to talk to the principal."

"But-" Rainbow Dash started, getting Sunset to look up and glare at them.

"I. Said. _Out_."

The five girls filed out the door, and Rarity closed it slowly behind her, giving Sunset a worried look. Principal Celestia watched her with an unreadable expression.

"Ma'am..." Sunset returned to her spot leaning on the wall. "Let's be simple about this, shall we?"

Celestia raised one regal eyebrow. "Certainly. Lets."

Sunset nodded. "The school firearms rule is strict, and it most certainly applies to Airsoft pistols. Despite the fact that we rather conveniently 'forgot' the school rules, you will have to admit we were very responsible about how we went about this. We chose a location with no bystanders, we all had eye protection, and the fact remains that as the rules are in place for real, lethal guns, the consequence should reflect that these are toys." Sunset gave the principal a sidelong look. "Don't you agree?"

Celestia sat down slowly at her desk, lacing her fingers together and keeping her expression unreadable. "Go on."

Sunset stood up straight and began to pace. "I just want to get all the pretense out of the way. We forgot the rule intended 'nothing resembling a firearm' and instead interpreted it as 'no firearms near other students,' which, while wrong, is understandable. So now that we're on the same page, this is the part where I assure you it will never happen again and you tell us how many days we are suspended for. Simple and painless." She stopped and spread her arms, resisting the urge to mock-bow. _I await your judgement, your highness._

"Two days suspension for everyone involved, I will inform your teachers and have your classwork brought to you. Is that simple enough?" Celestia stated, a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And it really had better not happen again. Do you want to tell your friends, or shall I?"

 

 

***

 

"So, let me get this straight." Rainbow Dash kicked her soccer ball slowly ahead of them, bouncing it off the curb. "We break the rules. You explain to her exactly how and why we broke the rules. And we get a four-day weekend?! You are comeing with me _any_ time I get in trouble, Sunset."

"It's not a 'weekend,' Rainbow. We're suspended. And that's terrible." Rarity pointed out.

"Are you kidding me?" Rainbow Dash hiked the ball into the air with her toe. "I bet Applejack is jealous right now! She let us off as easy as it gets! I don't think she was even mad!"

Sunset shrugged. "It's the strangest punishment I ever head of. In Equestria its usually a stern lecture and a hour or two of community service. Sorry I dragged you into this."

" _You_ dragged _us_ into this?" Pinkie skipped along behind them. "The entire thing was my idea!"

"It _was_ fun..." Fluttershy mumbled.

Sunset nodded, hands in her pockets, playing with a few of the BBs she had taken off of Celestia's desk. "Hey, girls, I have something I want to check out. I'll see you later."

"Ok, sure. Bye!" Rainbow Dash focused on keeping the ball in the air, juggling it as they walked down the street. Sunset made a sharp turn down a different sidewalk, waving as she went.

Half-an hour of walking later, Sunset came to the end of a cul-du-sac with a large empty lot on the edge of the Whitetail Woods. Without breaking stride, Sunset cut across the lot and into the trees. There might have been a road once, but nature had done its best reclaiming it and covered in in bramble, so Sunset took her time picking through the foliage. It wasn't much longer though before she broke through the trees and found what she was looking for.

A cinderblock wall loomed in front of her not five meters away, moss taking over the side facing her. She followed it around to the left. The wall turned sharply inward, and Sunset stepped back to get a better view of the building it was a part of.

The Rich Select Private School had been abandoned partway through construction after a scandal about its proximity to the official Whitetail Woods boundary, and Mr. Ritch had simply given up on the project. Sunset had heard the rumor that the school was being made specially for his own daughter, Diamond Tiara, five years ago. Sunset grinned. _And now you leave it all for me. Us. Totally meant us._

What had become of the building was a large "F" of concrete foundation with cinderblock walls, fighting back against the local flora. The courtyard, formed by the tines of the "F" faced west into the field, had what would have become a fountain forming an indentation in the middle of it, while the main part of the building stretched up two stories higher behind it. The roof was nonexistent in most places, as were doors, windows, paint… there was very little that was not made of concrete and brick, only a conspicuous piece of scaffolding braced in the corner.

Sunset waded through the tall grass to the main entrance at the end of the courtyard, minding the large step-up intended for stairs that had never been made. Inside, a thick layer of dirt hand made it inside, but little plant life had managed the knee-high jump up the foundations. The light was filtered through the windows and took on a surreal golden-brown hue, and the faint scent of a dead rodent was present. Sunset made a careful examination of the dirt on the floor, finding no human shoe prints but what might have been fox tracks. The stairs up were visible through a frame where more double-doors would have gone, and Sunset followed them up to the top, hesitating before stepping out onto the roofless second floor.

 _Come on, Sunset. Just because humans don't have magic to reinforce structures doesn't mean their engineering isn't up to snuff. Even incomplete. After five years. It should hold. Really._ Sunset grimaced to herself and stuck a leg out, dropping the heel  of her boot down hard. The concrete felt reassuringly solid, so she stepped out all the way, seriously missing her unicorn-magic for the millionth time. The wall over the windows had collapsed in on themselves without the frames to support them, making odd battlements around the entire second floor. Sunset walked out to a section where the wall had completely gone, only a short piece of bent rebar sticking up, and looked out over the rest of the building and the field.

 _This could work. In fact, with a little effort..._ Sunset pulled up a notepad on her smartphone and started jotting down what she would need. _This could be perfect!_

 

 

***

 

"Seriously now!" Rainbow Dash groaned, "has _anyone_ seen Sunset the past two days? She's totally blowing the vacation that _she_ got us!"

Rarity tried to keep her expression neutral as she repeated her explanation for the fifth time. "I told you, she told me and Pinkie she had a 'project' to work on and nothing else. Besides, have you finished all of your homework yet? Hold still."

Rainbow Dash gave a snort of annoyance and raised her arms so that Rarity could loop a pair of straps across her shoulders and back, fitting the cloth holster under her armpit. Rarity snapped the clasp shut and stepped back. The webbing of the holster consisted of a figure-eight that both arms slipped through and made an X across Rainbow's back, and a single securing strap across the front that buckled just under her chest.

"There! Now all we need is _this_ ," Rarity quickly threw a long brown coat over Dash's shoulders and plopped a fedora down on her head, "for the finishing touches! Detective Dash!" Rarity's expression cracked and she began to giggle. "Oh, goodness, you look ridiculous."

Rainbow Dash took a look in the mirror and snatched off the hat, throwing it at the fashionista. "You have an evil, evil streak deep inside, Rarity." She shrugged off the coat, tossing it over a unused rack. "Probably why I like you. Thanks for the holster, though, it looks awesome!"

"Thank you! If the pistol doesn't fit, just bring it back and I'll resize it. It took three tries to get Pinkie's right before I realized she was trying to fit that monster suppressed handgun in." Rarity smiled. Another success in a very new field. _If anyone had told me a week ago I would be making_ holsters _of all things, I would have laughed in their face!_

"So, uh, Rarity." Rainbow Dash turned, examining herself in the mirror. Rarity made a mental note that the securing strap might ride a little high under Rainbow's breast. "Do you want to swing by Pinkie's and play with these? Maybe do a little 'Wild West' shootout?"

"Y'all ain't gonna beat _me_ in any quick-draws!" Came a familiar drawl.

Rarity turned and beamed as Applejack stepped into the botique. "Wonderful! You came!" Did you bring that old belt of yours?"

"Sure did," Applejack held up a thick leather belt with a heavy iron buckle, emblazoned with a stylized apple, "You know this is on the understanin' that this is a heirloom, right? It's older than I am."

"Absolutely, dear, I just want to fit something over it." Rarity took it with an appropriate degree of reverence, noting the quality of the leather and craftsmanship of the rolling plains motif along its length. Hopefully, she could do it better justice, but not today. "Do bear in mind this is only temporary, Applejack. The real one will probably take months."

"The real one of what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Rarity reached into one of the boutique's shopping bags and pulled out its contents with a flourish. The revolver from Pinkie Pie's new Airsoft collection had seen some polish on its wooden grip, and was nestled in a thick holster of treated canvas with a wide loop for a belt and a small strap to be secured around one's leg. "Tada! A gift from Pinkie Pie and myself for one Miss Applejack! A Colt Firearms 'Peacemaker', Airsoft Edition! For all of your Rainbow Dash shooting needs!"

Applejack took the package wide eyed. "I... Wow. That's real nice of you, Rares. Thanks."

Rarity beamed. "You're welcome! I'm afraid it might look a bit strange if you wear it with a skirt, since it hangs off of your belt instead of sitting up high like the rest of ours, but you do pull of jeans better than the rest of us. Oh, and your glasses, too." Rarity pulled out a pair of green plastic goggles for her, and tucked the earpiece into a small slot in the canvas for safekeeping.

Applejack nodded, pulling the revolver free and looking it over. She deftly spun it around her finger and brought it up, looking down the sights and cocking the hammer with her thumb. "Almost like the real thing, only it don't weigh nothin'." She put her thumb on the hammer and pulled the trigger, easing it back into a uncocked position.

"Hey, yeah! You've shot real guns before! You should teach us some tricks!" Rainbow Dash mimed drawing and taking a shooting stance, then peered out the front window of the boutique. "Hey, isn't that Sunset's car?"

Rarity glanced out as well, then caught Rainbow's elbow as she made for the door. "Ah! One, don't go running around in public wearing a gun holster, and two, what if she doesn't _want_ to-"

"So she's _avoiding_ us?" Dash frowned and pulled free, unbuckling her holster. "Well, I'm going to find out what's going on!"

Rainbow Dash was out the door like a shot, and was across the street standing by Sunset's convertible in seconds, looking around for any sign of its owner. Rarity sighed. "Well, we may as well."

"If I have to." Applejack muttered, dropping her new Airsoft gun into a bag and following Rarity out the door. Rarity winced internally at her friends tone.

 

 

***

 

Sunset hesitated as she came out of the hardware store and saw a Rainbow Dash waiting impatiently next to her Jaguar. Dash hadn't seen her yet, but across the street, Rarity and Applejack had. _Well, now is a good a time as ever._ Sunset gave a sharp whistle and waved.

"Yo! Where have you been?" Rainbow Dash leapt up the sidewalk in front of her. "Have you been avoiding us?" She accused.

Sunset pretended to consider for a moment, stepping around Rainbow and setting her bag of supplies down and popping open the trunk. "Hmm. Yes, technically, I have been."

Rainbow Dash's mouth fell open, shocked and hurt. "B-but, I thought we were friends! How could you!"

Sunset snorted and gave Rainbow a pat on the shoulder. "I'm kidding! I just had a surprise for you. For all of you, really." She added for the benefit of Rarity and Applejack.

"A surprise? I thought you said it was a personal project?" Rarity asked, shooting a glare at a slightly embarrassed a Rainbow Dash. "You implied you wanted to work on it alone, but I admit I am a bit curious myself."

"That's fine," Sunset dropped her bags into the trunk with a heavy clanking of screws and bolts, "Let's go pick up Pinkie and Fluttershy, then I'll show you. Hop in."

Sunset called ahead to Pinkie's cell phone, confirming that both she and Fluttershy where at Sugarcube Corner just a few blocks away, and where ready and waiting when she pulled up.

"What's the surprise? Wait DON'T TELL ME!" Pinkie jumped in the back with Applejack and Rarity, practically pulling Fluttershy in on top of them. "It won't be a supriiiiiise, then~!"

"I think you'll like it. Try to remember where we are, too, so you can find the way yourself." Sunset caught herself, snickering. _Oops, almost gave it away!_

Rarity seemed to catch on. "Well, aren't you cryptic. You have my attention, dear."

"Come on!" Rainbow Dash turned around in the passenger seat to look at the other four girls squashed into the back. "All comfy back their?"

"Rainbow, don't you start." Applejack grunted, trying to make room for Fluttershy's legs. Sunset shook her head at the teasing and dove into traffic, heading for Whitetail Woods.

The drive wasn't long before they pulled into the cul-de-sac, where Sunset parked and got out, pulling her supplies out of the back of the trunk while Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack extracted themselves from the back seat. "All right, ladies. Help me carry all this. It's a bit of a hike, so divvy it up." Sunset commanded.

"What the hay are you buildin'?" Applejack asked, lifting the three sheets of plywood out of the bottom of the trunk with an ease that made Sunset's struggle to get it in look pathetic.

"And in the woods?" Fluttershy gasped. "Have you been working on a treehouse?"

"No, but close!" Sunset shook her head, carrying her final, secret box and leading the way into the trees. The route was slowly getting easer each pass as the foliage began to get pushed back and Sunset herself got better at stepping through it. Judging by the sounds of annoyance and snagged clothing behind her, it was more of the latter. It didn't last long before the broke out into the field just west of the abandoned construction site.

" _What_ " Rarity dropped the bags she had been carrying in awe as she caught glimpse of the building.

"You... How did y'all..." Applejack stuttered.

Pinkie Pie just stared, blinking. "Is this real life?"

"I'm seeing this to, it must be." Rainbow Dash passed a hand in front of her face, shocked.

The old building had some new features, namely, a ramp up to all the doors and erected a flag from the roof made from a Canterlot Wondercolts jersey, as well as some belt-high wooden barricades, currently stacked over in one corner.

"Y-you did all of this?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah!" Sunset nodded, feeling the soreness of the work in her bones. "I found the building years ago, and thought I'd touch it up. The barricades were the hard part, I'm not sure I built them right. Think it will do for Airsoft games?"

Rarity stepped forward, taking it in. "For Airsoft? For us? Sunset, darling, you found us a _wonderful_ clubhouse! This is incredible!"

Sunset sighed. _Worth it, then._ "Well, we had a problem and I went and solved it: no playing with air guns near schools or public place, dig up an old building in the middle of nowhere. Go on, check it out. Watch out for the old boiler room, though, something died in there a while ago, I boarded it up."

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash took off like a shot, whopping and hollering, with Fluttershy and Applejack following at a more leisurely pace. Rarity, however, stayed behind.

"Sunset... I... Please don't take this the wrong way." Rarity brought a hand up to her mouth, blushing and looking like she was going to cry.

"Take it the wrong- Rarity! What's wrong?" Sunset felt a cold grip of fear on her heart. _What could I have done wrong? This was a good thing!_

"I just want you to know that this is the most generous thing that has happened to any of us." Rarity sniffed, smiling. "I mean it. You went so far above and beyond... You did all of this in two days?"

Sunset looked away, embarrassed. "Well, two and a half. It's not done yet, I wanted to put shutters on the windows and the inside could use some kind of furni-ulp!" She cut off as Rarity threw her arms around her in a great hug, then held her at arms length.

"It's perfect, Sunset. Come on, give me the grand tour!"

 

 

***

 

"Of _course_ I brought the stuff to play a game" Sunset lifted her duffle bag onto the simple plastic table set up on the roof of the newly christened Castle CinderPly. "I'm always prepared."

"Sweeeeeet!" Rainbow Dash bounced in place. "Even teams. This is gonna be epic!"

"Um, I'm not really sure it can be even... I'm kind of a handicap... Sorry." Fluttershy mumbled.

Pinkie giggled. "Says the girl who shot a quarter-inch pattern on her first try _ever_. You are on _my_ team."

"Right!" Sunset opened the bag and pulled out one of the M16s. "One more surprise. I got both of these working properly, so each team can have one. The one with all the ridges and mounting rails is a M-16 A4, and can shoot semi-automatic or full-auto, and..." She pulled out the second black rifle as well, laying them both on the table. "...this one is an A2, it shoots a three-shot-burst as well as single-shot. I got all of the pistols working as well, Applejack's just needs gas."

"S'how does this all work? Airsoft battles, I mean?" Applejack asked, belting on her holster before handing over her Peacemaker for a gas refill.

"Simple enough. If you get nailed, yell 'hit' and raise your hand, then go to a safe zone. I marked two, one outside in the middle of the courtyard, and one inside in the middle of the entrance hall. I tried to put them somewhere you wouldn't trip over them." Sunset admitted. "Oh, new rule if you guys want to; its called 'winging.' If you get hit in the torso or head, you are out, but if you get hit in the arm or leg, you can take one more hit anywhere before being out of the game."

"Cool, I'll go with that. Go for them headshots!" Rainbow Dash punched the air, then paused. "On second thought, try not to hit me in the head, those things really hurt."

Rarity nodded sympathetically. "So what kind of game this time? What would even _be_ a 'normal' game?"

"Deathmatch?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "Three-versus-three, last team standing?"

"I'M ON FLUTTERSHY'S TEAM!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, grabbing the girl in question..

"T-thank you, Pinkie, but I... need... _air..._ "

Rarity slipped her Sigma into its new holster, high on her hip. "I suppose I'll join you as well, if there are no objections."

Rainbow Dash grinned, picking up the M16A4. "So that leaves me with AJ and Sunset, team kick-ass!"

Sunset snatched the rifle out of Rainbow's hands. "I'll be taking that. Unless you took the time to research how to use an A&K M16 while I was gone?"

"Oh, and you have?" Rainbow snorted. Sunset raised an eyebrow, then deftly locked back the bolt, inserted a magazine, slapped the side to close the bolt and flipped the fire selector to "Semi."

*wrrtap!*

A pellet flew cleanly out the window. Sunset lowered the rifle, keeping her face expressionless. "Any questions? Here, Fluttershy, I'll show you how it works."

 

 

***

 

Sunset, Applejack and Rainbow Dash kneeled in their room, waiting and discussing strategy. They had taken shelter in one of the classrooms on the south wing, and little of the evening sun filtered in, making it dim inside.

"Ok, so if they are in the north part of the building, we have three ways to go." Rainbow Dash noted. "We can sprint straight across the courtyard, go through the lobby, or take the stairs up and walk across the roof."

"And they can do the same." Sunset pointed out. Rainbow rolled her eyes in a _well, duh!_ fashion.

Applejack idly spun her Peacemaker around her finger. "We ought to stick together. More firepower, an' all that. Someone to watch our backs."

"I think I have a pretty clear shot into the lobby from here. How about you two stick together and I cover you up until you get to the lobby, then you wave me over." Sunset peered out the window, sighting her M16 in on the wide windows near the school entrance.

Applejack nodded. "Sounds good. Anythin' last minute I should know about?"

Sunset thought for a second. "Yeah. Rarity has a great grasp on strategy, Fluttershy is the new Annie Oakley, and Pinkie Pie likes to pop out at the least opportune moment. Good luck."

"Won't need it." Rainbow Dash chambered a pellet in her pistol, then leaned out the window and yelled. "WE'RE READY!"

" _Three-two-one-go!_ " Came Pinkie's signal, echoing from across the courtyard. Applejack and Rainbow Dash padded their way out of the room.

Sunset took a knee and braced her rifle on the windowsill, watching out across the courtyard. She saw a brief flash of pink hair though one of the windows, then nothing. Taking a deep breath, she lined her eye up with the rear aperture of the sights, floating the front post vaguely over the main windows.

Moments later she scrambled backwards as burst of pellets whizzed overhead, bouncing off of the walls. _What the hay? Where did that come from?_ She stood up, recovering from the sudden scare, and raised the rifle again. Standing well back from the window, Sunset began to step in a slow, careful circle around it, trying to pick out where she had been shot at from. Halfway around, another trio of pellets sailed in and ricocheted off the floor, one tagging her squarely in the boot. _Damn! Good thing I called that winging rule... I can't stay here._

Sunset dashed out of the room, following the hall east after Rainbow and Applejack. She slowed as she approached the main lobby and heard a shout and a flurry of clicking pellet guns.

"Hit! I'm hit, I'm out!"

"Me too! Hit!"

 _That was Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Ok. Still even teams._ Sunset thought. She carefully leaned around the doorframe and saw Applejack hurriedly reloading her revolver, kneeling by the far door as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie walked out the front door to the outside safe zone, hands raised. Sunset quickly crossed the room with her gun up and trained on the window.

"Sorry, had to leave my spot. Fluttershy had a bead on me." Sunset apologized, kneeling next to her remaining teammate.

Applejack nodded. "Pinkie was on her own, jumped us. Ain't much I could do to save Dash, this thing is hard to shoot fast. It's weird not havin' any kick. Any idea where the other two are?"

Sunset closed her eyes and replayed the times she had been shot at, doing her best to work out the angle the shot had come from. "Fluttershy was on the top floor of the north wing, all the way at the end."

"Rares would have stuck close to Fluttershy, otherwise Pinkie wouldn'ta come." Applejack peered out the window carefully. "I don't think we could get sniped if we stick to the north wall outside, then we could come in behind them. Problem is Fluttershy can probably see the front door from here..."

"We'll run for it, I'll cover you." Sunset shouldered her rifle again. She realized she hadn't even shot yet, then leaned around the edge of the window and squinted against the sun, picking out the shape of the other M16's barrel peeking off the edge of the second floor where the wall had not been finished. She squeezed the trigger gently, lining up the sights, and barked "GO!"

*wrtap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!*

Applejack darted out the school entrance as an arc of pellets streamed out of Sunset's gun, peppering around her target. She put a few more bursts toward the edge of the roof before slipping back down and pulling out the magazine, winding the small crank at the top to transfer more pellets from the reservoir to the feed. Sunset patted her jacket pocket to assure herself her spare rifle magazine was really there, then peeked again. Applejack glanced back at her, pressed up against the wall directly below where Fluttershy had shot from and jerked her head impatiently: _Come on!_

Sunset nodded, backing up, and dashed out the door, jumping down the ramp she had made and sprinting to her teammate, thudding roughly into the wall. She looked up and saw the orange muzzle of Fluttershy's M16 peeking over the edge, still pointed toward the main entrance. _Did she not see us?_

Applejack wordlessly began picking her way along the side of the building, stepping noiselessly through the tall grass, and Sunset followed her lead. They got to the corner and AJ leaned around it, gun-first. Sunset carefully moved around her and took a position next to the ramp for the smaller door, clearing the inside as far as she could see. She put her arm out to stop Applejack before she went ahead.

"The stairs are the fourth gap down, on your left." Sunset whispered, "Fluttershy should be the first room in front of us at the top, south-east corner if she's still there."

"Gotcha. That's a lot of hidin' places in between here and there, tho." Applejack double-checked that her revolver was full, and Sunset was struck by an idea.

"Here. How's your left hand aim?" Sunset unholstered her S&W Sigma handgun, offering it to Applejack. "It's loaded and ready, just point and click. I have plenty of ammo for the M16, pistol won't do anything on my hip."

"Thank'ee." The two girls stepped up into the hallway, Applejack first, with the autoloading handgun pointed down the hall and the revolver flickering between each door as she came up to them. Sunset kept herself in a low stance, gun up as she did her best to step smoothly down the hall, covering whatever door Applejack was not looking at.

The farmer reached the stairs first, and started up. Sunset tightened her grip on the rifle, annoyed. _Come on, slow down._ She glanced down the ground floor halls, then followed. _We still don't know where Rarity is, and it's way too quiet to talk!_

Sunset sighed in relief as Applejack stopped, arms spread to point a gun down either hall at the top of the stairs, and twitched her Peacemaker to wave Sunset past her. Sunset fiddled with the stock of her M16, telescoping it down shorter so it would fit through the tight doorways better, then stepped carefully up onto the second floor, heart pounding in the silence and trying to keep her breathing silent. She focused on the door to the unfinished room where Fluttershy had fired from, gently setting her heel down and rolling her boot gently onto the toe, one after another. She glided through the door, swinging her rifle around to point at the edge of the roof.

Sunset realized that moment things had gone terribly wrong. Fluttershy was not in the room, just an abandoned M16A2 balanced on its magazine and stock to point out over the edge of the building. A sharp jingling came from around her feet, and she looked down to see a tiny decorative bell go bouncing across the floor. "Applejack! _Look out, it's a-_ "

*pop! pop! pop!*

A stinging pellet hit Sunset on the lapel of her jacket as Rarity ducked back into one of the classrooms. "-trap. Hit!" She put her hand up, taking a knee to stay out of the way. She hesitated before leaving, wanting to see what happened next.

Applejack sprang into action, bringing both pistols to bear and beginning to advance down the hall. Rarity peeked around the corner again, then ducked back with a squeak of surprise as AJ fired both guns simultaneously. Applejack continued down the hall, keeping up a slow, steady stream of fire as she went. She made it to the door, then dove head first into the room.

*poppop-pop poppoppop!*

"Ouch! Hit!" Rarity yelped.

"YAHOO!" Applejack came out first, repositioning her hat and covered with a long streak of dust down her side where she had slid across the floor, followed by a wincing fashionista.

Sunset waited for Rarity, then walked down the stairs with her. "That was clever, Rarity. Who's idea was that?"

"Hmm? Did you mean abandoning the rifle as bait or the tripwire?" Rarity rubbed her abdomen where Applejack had hit her.

"Tripwire? Is that what the bell was?" Sunset frowned. "Where was the wire?"

Rarity giggled. "That was a team effort! I had the idea of some kind of alarm, and we used a bell from a collar we found in Fluttershy's bag and a strand of her hair, taped across the door. You broke it when you stepped through."

"Ah. Clever." Sunset said again. Fluttershy's hair was so long and light it would have been totally invisible.

They made it out to the safe zone, where Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash waited, sitting on the edges of the shallow pit that was to house a fountain, now marked off with yellow safety tape. Pinkie had produced a pair of binoculars and was peering into the second story windows.

"Hey! So just AJ and Flutters left, huh?" Rainbow stood up, offering a hand to step down into the pit. "What happened to you?"

Sunset shrugged. "Rarity shot me, AJ shot Rarity. They propped up the rifle as bait, but now that means Fluttershy only has her pistol, and AJ has my pistol too."

Pinkie laughed, binoculars trained on the window. "Ha ha! I see her! She's got one in each hand!"

"Pity she ruined her shirt with that dive. Impressive as it was." Rarity commented.

A minute later, Fluttershy marched out the front door, hands up with Applejack behind her. "Lookie what I caught! That was all kinds of crazy, I'm sorry I haven't played before!"

"Wait, we won?" Rainbow Dash jumped out of the safe zone, punching up at the sky. " _Yesss~!_ "

"Aww! Well, it's only fair!" Pinkie climbed out two and wrapped Fluttershy in a hug. "We won last time! And loosing can be fun! Was it an epic last stand?"

"N-not really..." Fluttershy cringed. "I... I kind of... gave up..."

The group fell silent for a second, the Pinkie gasped. "OhMyGod, _girls!_ We should have a 'We All Play Awesome Games and We're Awesome Too' party!"

Sunset grinned, shaking her head in amusement. "I have no objections."

"And we simply _can't_ forget who put this all together for us!" Rarity put a hand on Sunset Shimmer's shoulder. "You are the guest of honor."

Rainbow Dash grabbed her away, lifting her into the air in a giant hug. "Yeah! Cheers for Sunset Shimmer!"

"HURRAY!"

Pinkie led the way back through Whitetail Woods as they left Castle CinderPly behind. "Do you think Mister and Missus Cake would have a problem with six girls coming into Sugarcube Corner this late, armed to the teeth with pellet guns? I don't think they'd care, but I didn't think they'd have a problem with me bringing Gummy to work either, and they had a _HUGE_ problem with a miniature alligator on the pastry counter. Or that time when I got that kid from the science class to bring liquid nitrogen in and we froze cookies and the big mixer! Or that time when-"


End file.
